This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

Understanding Your LinkedIn Network

Before you start communicating with others on LinkedIn, you need to understand how LinkedIn classifies its members in terms of their connections to you. This distinction is important because it determines what, if any, restrictions LinkedIn places on your ability to contact people.

Your LinkedIn network consists of three levels of connections:

1st degree connections. LinkedIn members you connect with directly. Either you sent them an invitation to connect and they accepted, or you accepted their invitation. Your connection list on your profile displays your 1st degree connections. When LinkedIn refers to "your connections," this means your 1st degree connections.

For example, if you connect directly with your colleague Nicole, she is your 1st degree connection. If Nicole connects directly to Ben, her former classmate, Ben is your 2nd degree connection. If Ben connects directly with Drake, one of his co-workers, Drake is your 3rd degree connection.

LinkedIn also considers fellow members of groups as part of your network. See Lesson 11, "Working with LinkedIn Groups," for more information about LinkedIn groups.

Plain English: My Network

Your LinkedIn network (termed "My Network") differs from the entire LinkedIn network, which consists of all LinkedIn members. At the time of this printing, the entire LinkedIn network includes more than 40 million members.

Tip: View Your Network Statistics

To view how many people are in each level of your network, click the Network Statistics link in the expanded left navigation menu.